Archaeology is the recovery and study of material evidence, such as remainders of pottery, to help us learn about people and places of the past.
In 1994 the Minnesota Historical Society conducted a survey to map and excavate the archaeological resources of Traverse des Sioux. Most of the material found came from the site of the short-lived town that settlers built in the mid-1800s. Broken glass, strips of cut metal, ceramics, and pipe fragments were among the 10,000 pieces unearthed.
What Was Found Here
The oldest object uncovered here is a large spear point about 9,000 years old — almost as old as the Minnesota River valley itself. Made from a kind of sandstone found only in central Wisconsin, points like this one were used in hunting now-extinct large animals, such as mastodons and giant beavers. This type of point, unique to the central region of the North American continent, has been found at archaeological sites from Minnesota to Texas.
Minnesota Historical Society
Traverse des Sioux
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